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Why Take a Cruise
Vacation?
Have you considered taking a cruise vacation but just
aren’t sure if it would be right for you? With all the cruise lines
available, all the cruise destinations, the range of prices, there is a cruise
for just about everyone.
Do you commute to work every day, sitting in traffic for
perhaps hours? Think about it, on a cruise you don’t drive anywhere for 7,
10, 14 days or more. Now, even if you were on a bus tour with no driving
yourself, you haul your luggage or at least pack and unpack it at each stop. On
a cruise, you check your luggage when you check in and it magically appears in
your cabin, stateroom, or suite. You unpack once, feeling at home for the
duration of the cruise. The cruise staff will tell you when to place your bags
outside your accommodations at the end of the cruise and, just a magically,
your luggage will be waiting for you on shore at a designated pick-up point.
Taking a cruise vacation frees you from some of the hassles of traveling.
If you take a driving vacation, there’s always the
question of where to stop to eat. All meals are included in the price of your
cruise and great food is one of the main attractions of taking a cruise. Most
contemporary cruises take into account the modern casual lifestyle and provide
a variety of restaurants and snack bars on board. Typically, there is a varied
and plentiful breakfast and lunch buffet similar to what you find in Las Vegas.
Or you can eat breakfast or lunch in one of the ship’s restaurants,
ordering exactly what you want from the ample menu, prepared fresh for you.
Restaurants are usually open for meals for extended hours and buffets are
generally open all day and into the night. Have you heard of the midnight
buffet available on some cruises?
Dinner is an important event on a cruise ship, a tradition
dating back to the late 1800’s when cruises were for royalty and the
wealthy who expected elegant formal dinners. Again, in today’s lifestyle
the elegant dinner is optional, and for those who prefer to dine casually, the
dinner buffet is available usually until 9 pm. Most cruise ships offer
excellent cuisine, especially at dinner, in the main dining room or rooms plus
offer meals at upscale specialty restaurants at additional cost. Cruise lines
base much of their reputation on their food service, and terms such as
“world class cuisine” and “gourmet meals” are combined with
“impeccable service” to insure that the onboard dining experience is
truly memorable. Many cruises still offer one or more optional formal dinners
where ladies where long formal gowns or other evening dresses and gentlemen
wear tuxedos or dark suits.
Once onboard your cruise vessel, there are activities 24
hours a day. Modern cruise ships boast state-of-the-art 700 plus seat theatres
for quality shows and entertainment, all included in the cruise price. There is
unique entertainment in the theatre every evening of the cruise. Most ships
also have a number of themed bars, lounges, and discos with live entertainment
that are open into the early morning hours. Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks
are seldom included in the cruise price. Most ships also provide a casino that
is open while the ship is in international waters.
If night life isn’t your style, you can enjoy the
onboard pool, spa, library, fitness center, and other amenities. Many cruises
now offer instructional classes on a variety of topics during the day. If you
have children on the cruise, there are usually play areas and programs geared
to different age groups.
Did we forget about the cruise destination itself? Cruises
typically stop at a different port of call each day or every other day,
depending upon distances and sailing time between points of interest. You may
stay aboard the ship all day or disembark at any stop. You are free to explore
each destination on your own as long as you return to the ship by the
designated time.
Also cruise lines offer a variety of shore excursions at
additional cost. These adventures are geared toward the unique features of the
destination. For example, Caribbean cruises offer snorkeling, diving or beach
excursions while Alaskan cruises offer helicopter tours or dogsled trips. For
the less adventuresome, normally there are bus tours or supervised shopping
excursions in the local port. Everything, including meal stops, is prearranged.
All you need to do is find the correct line onshore and an experienced guide
handles the rest of your tour.
With all these great services available at a reasonable
cost, why not take a cruise vacation?
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Looking for information about cruises?
Go to: http://www.whatcruises.com
'What Cruises' is published by Colin Hartness -
An excellent resource for Cruises!
Check out more cruise articles at:
http://www.whatcruises.com/archive
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